Ranking of 8 Frozen Onion Ring Brands

Whether you’re enjoying a burger, steak, or another savory entree, onion rings make a drool-worthy accompaniment. They offer a burst of onion flavor and crunchy texture that people can’t get enough of, and honestly, onion rings can even give french fries a run for their money when done right. Still, making onion rings from scratch is a labor of love that many of us aren’t ready to take on, at least not regularly. That doesn’t mean you have to go without, though. There are quite a few tasty frozen onion ring brands that you can easily pick up from the store. I should know — I just taste-tested every brand I could get my hands on.

With flavor, texture, and overall quality in mind, I tasted eight frozen onion ring brands to find out how they measure up in a head-to-head competition. You can learn more about my methodology at the end, but you should know that this isn’t one of those frozen products where all the brands are pretty good — some are way better than others. Seriously, the difference between the worst and best brands is astounding. If you want to know which frozen onion ring brands to buy and which ones should only be purchased as a last resort, you’ve come to the right place.

A 16-ounce bag of Great Value Onion Rings costs just $3.42, so they do, in fact, come at a great value price. However, I’m inclined to say that you really get what you pay for with this product. Out of the eight frozen onion ring brands I tried, there was no question that this product came in dead last. Better luck next time, Walmart.

Are Great Value onion rings awful? Not really, but they weren’t very good, and they certainly didn’t stand a chance against the competition. For starters, the onion inside was cut so thick that there was no way to get it crispy. Actually, it was pretty slimy and mushy. The batter, while it had a somewhat pleasing medium coarse texture, was overly thick. It was so dense that it was more like bread than a proper onion ring batter. The exterior crisped up nicely, and there was a touch of flavor, but not nearly as much as the upcoming picks.

Unfortunately for Walmart, I wouldn’t buy these again. In the end, I’d say, there are plenty of actual burger cooking mistakes — don’t let pairing them with Great Value Onion Rings be one of them.

Kroger Onion Rings cost $3.99 for a 20-ounce bag, but unfortunately, the low price is this brand’s best trait. They are a touch better than last place (Great Value), but really, a two-way tie for last might be more accurate. My main complaint about this brand’s lackluster attempt at frozen onion rings is that the texture falls short in every way. The bread is thick, but the cut is ultra fine, so it doesn’t crisp up nicely. I will say that the onion inside had a bit of crunch, but the rest was a total letdown.

In addition to a far from ideal texture, Kroger Onion Rings are kind of bland. There’s a touch of flavor, thanks to the onion, but the breading leaves a lot to be desired, that’s for sure. As a whole, they don’t have much going for them. If I had to pick between Great Value and Kroger, I’d opt for Kroger, but give me any other choice, and neither would be given a second thought. Moving on.

My third-to-last place award for the best frozen onion rings goes to Market Pantry, one of Target’s brands. While significantly better than the two lower-ranking grocery store brands, it’s still pretty far from an ideal product. It gets some stuff right, but seriously lacks regarding a crucial element: The onion. The rings feature a thick cut of onion inside, and while this works for some brands, it just turns out mushy in this product. Bummer.

The breading on Market Pantry Onion Rings does an excellent job of providing a serious amount of crunch. This goes a long way in counterbalancing the soggy onions inside, but it’s still not enough to bring them out of a third-from-last-place ranking. The breadcrumbs have a medium to coarse texture, so they’re approaching more of the ideal — for me, the coarser the better. Once cooked, it gets nice and crunchy, and it stays intact quite well. Plus, I detected a pleasing toasty flavor. It’s a shame about the lousy onion though. With a better cut, this product could have ranked much higher, especially if you take into account the fact that a 16-ounce bag only costs $3.69. Oh well, on to the next.

Now that we’ve reached the top five, things are going to start looking up. This is where my ranking takes a turn for the better, and the first brand to achieve a status other than forgettable is Nathan’s. The brand’s Famous Onion Rings feature a nice savory flavor, and the onions inside the rings are a pleasing mix of soft and crunchy. I could use even more flavor, but it’s not bad at all. Compared to the lower-ranking picks, this brand is off to a great start, right?

Nathan’s Famous Onion Rings are dredged in a beer batter, so it’s unlike any of the previous picks. The batter itself is quite tasty too, but honestly, it pales in comparison to any beer-battered onion rings you would get at a restaurant. I found the texture of the breading was way too fine for my preferences. It was quite fragile too. My taste-testing accomplice liked the beer batter on these onion rings quite a bit more than I did. They thought it would be really good with a nice cut of steak, but I still think they fell short of expectations. Even so, the flavor of Nathan’s Famous Onion Rings isn’t bad, so if beer-battered onion rings are your favorite, they make a good choice.

Coming in fourth place is none other than Red Robin’s frozen onion rings. Admittedly, I’ve never eaten them at one of the company’s many restaurants, but if the frozen version are an accurate representation of the freshly fried ones, I may need to make a trip in to try them. From the texture to the flavor, they are excellent. A 14-ounce bag of Red Robin Onion Rings ran me $4.97, so they are definitely on the pricier side, but I think they’re worth it.

If you like a thick breading on your onion rings with lots of texture — like I do — Red Robin won’t let you down. Not only are the breadcrumbs coarse, but they get super crunchy. My top two picks have a coarser breading, but Red Robin’s is nothing to scoff at. Plus, it has tons of savory flavor baked in. The onion helps a lot in the flavor department too. Although I wish they were cut a touch thicker. They’re wide enough, but not quite thick enough to ensure a blend of textures. Even so, I put a couple of these onion rings on top of a veggie burger, and they were the perfect upgrade. You don’t have to get fancy though; these onion rings have what it takes to be enjoyed solo. Thanks, Red Robin!

McCain Craft Beer Battered Onion Rings were a shoo-in for the top three. After all, onions are one of the best foods to make with beer batter. While not my favorite, if beer batter is your thing, there’s no doubt that this brand should be your top pick. Every bite is packed with abundant flavors, and they blow the other frozen beer-battered onion rings I tried (Nathan’s, in fifth place) out of the water.

True to the beer batter style, the breading on McCain onion rings has an ultra-fine texture. It’s made with American pale ale, and I don’t know if that’s the reason for the drool-worthy flavor, but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt. Due to the beer batter’s thinner consistency, this product is definitely onion-heavy, but I found this added to the texture and flavor beautifully. My taste-testing friend said these were easily their number one choice. I prefer a coarser batter though, so I was kind of surprised by how much I liked them.

For frozen onion rings, McCain’s look a whole lot like ones you’d get from a bar, and they aren’t nearly as heavy or greasy, so I count that as another win. Not only are McCain’s Craft Beer Battered Onion Rings a safe bet, they are one of the best. Make sure to give them a try.

Signature Select Onion Rings are the only generic grocery store brand to breach the top five, and as you can see, they went a whole lot further than that. Signature Select may not be a well-known name brand, but man, these onion rings were beyond tasty. They also had texture for days. I was quite impressed, to say the least. In fact, I almost thought the brand was going to take it all and get first place before I tried what became the overall winner. We will get to that in a minute, though. For now, let’s focus on what makes Signature Select so much better than the lower-ranking brands.

Even before I got a taste of this brand’s frozen onion rings, I knew I was going to like them. I could tell the breadcrumb exterior featured the coarse cut I prefer, and there was plenty of it. After air frying a few and tasting, I was overjoyed. The texture was spot on. The breading gave me all the crunch I could possibly want, and the onions inside were cut thick enough to provide a delicious contrasting texture. In addition, I could tell the seasonings used were not an afterthought. They were front and center in the best way possible. Delish!

I know I’ve been hyping up the last few brands, but Alexia Crispy Onion Rings are hands-down the best frozen product I tried. Before I tasted them, I didn’t know frozen onion rings could be so good. I didn’t even think they could come close, but Alexia sure taught me a thing or two.

Alexia onion rings feature a super coarse panko breading that is to die for. Not only does it have enough texture to please the pickiest eaters, but it gets unbelievably crunchy. Talk about flavor too! The breading has a nice salty, savory taste, and the onions within are on the sweeter side. All combined, you get a burst of umami flavor and endless texture in every bite. I’d go as far as to say they even give some bar onion rings a run for their money.

You only get 11 ounces of onion rings in each Alexia bag, and they cost about $4.59, so they aren’t cheap. I would gladly pay that again though, because the quality matches the cost. Give Alexia Crispy Onion Rings a try and, like me, you may have trouble buying any other brands moving forward. More than that, the desire to make homemade onion rings could vanish forever.

The best way to rank the eight frozen onion ring brands on this list was to taste them, so that’s what I did. I bought a bag of each, cooked them up in an air fryer according to the instructions, and happily got to tasting. I also shared with a friend in order to get a well-rounded opinion of each brand. As far as the final ranking was concerned, I considered the flavor and texture of both the batter and the onion inside. Brands with a coarser cut of breadcrumbs, crispy onion centers, and bold flavor throughout scored the highest.

Onion rings are one of the best appetizers or side dishes around, minus the Bloomin Onion’ of course — and you can’t pick up one of those in the frozen aisle of your local grocery store. So, the next time a craving for crispy onion rings hits, make sure to choose one of the top five brands on this list. Otherwise, prepare yourself for a serious letdown.